


kanashimi wo yasashisa ni

by lamentum



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Coping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Minor Character Death, Naruto Is An Angel, Public Display of Affection, death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:13:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamentum/pseuds/lamentum
Summary: Naruto understood loss better than anyone.Who better to help you cope?





	kanashimi wo yasashisa ni

**Author's Note:**

> sousa kanashimi wo yasashisa ni (悲しみ を やさしさ に) - turning sadness into kindness

 

Your mother always told you to stay away from the troublesome boy with the bright blonde hair and the demon whiskers.

She would surely be turning in her grave if she saw you now.

Not that you ever listened to her when she was alive either.

The wake of the Fourth Great Shinobi War had amassed casualties that were unlike any other, to the point where none of the hidden villages had dared try to come up with a total number yet, but even without statistics, all those old enough to understand it knew the death toll wasn’t kind.

Almost everyone had lost someone, and you were no exception. 

You had tried not to wallow in it too much when you got the news, but eventually tear stained pillow cases and instant ramen had become your companion; while everyone else was getting accustomed to normal life again, you’d locked yourself away in your apartment, only venturing out in the dead of night for microwave foods when you couldn’t stand your stomach’s growling any longer. 

You weren’t paying attention when you stepped out of the 24-hour convenience store, dragging your feet absently when you bumped into a firm body; you paused, and the man in front of you, silent and still as you raised your head slowly. 

“Naruto?” you croaked. He gave you a kind smile. 

“Good to see you again.” You averted your gaze shamefully, knowing what a sight you were (horribly knotted hair and an outfit now three days old), and as if he could tell exactly what was going through your mind, Naruto threw his arms around you suddenly, hugging you as though your shirt wasn’t horribly stained and you somehow didn’t reek of chicken-flavoring packets and perspiration. You let out a grunt at what was now a second impact from his chest, arms limp at your sides as he held you, though he didn’t seem to mind. “Let me walk you home.”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” you immediately denied with a shake of your head, gaze focused on his chest as he pulled back from your figure to get a good look at you. “Not like we’re in any danger anymore.” 

“Yeah,” Naruto agreed with a shrug. “But just ‘cause we’re not in danger doesn’t mean you have to be okay.” You blinked, surprised by his words, and finally raised your head again to look at him properly. He was turned away now, gazing up at the night sky, and his gaze seemed almost affectionate. Your lips parted to reply, with what you weren’t exactly sure, but an annoyed “oi” from a patron trying to get out of the doorway the two of you were blocking had you both scrambling out of the way with rushed apologies, and somewhere in that mess the two of you naturally fell in step with each other back towards your house. 

“Do you remember back in the academy,” his words flowed without restraint, and you kept your eyes forward as you listened to his gruff voice. “How crazy everyone would go on Valentine’s Day?” You couldn’t help but crack a smile. “And then White Day?”

“Yeah,” you answered.

“It was insane,” he groaned at the memory, stretching his arms out in front of him and letting his bones crack before he placed his hands on the back of his head. “Sasuke was drowning in chocolates- he doesn’t even like sweets!” 

“Mm.” Your quiet hum had him looking over at you. 

“I never got up the courage to get you something.”

Your steps faltered. 

By now, the two of you were just outside your apartment complex, so he did you the courtesy of stopping as well, moving so that the two of you were facing each other again. “I mean, I bought something one or two times, but I never got up the courage to give it to you,” Naruto explained further, his cheeks dusted pink. “I was too chicken to tell you how I felt.”

“‘Felt?’” You immediately echoed. “Past tense?” Your voice was tight, and he winced at the unmasked hurt and disappointment in your voice.  

“Ah, well, not exactly!” He rushed to clarify, the blush on his cheeks burning his skin. “I still… really like you. And I’m not just saying that because of, you know- what you’re dealing with right now.” His brows furrowed at the thought.

“So why?” Your voice trailed off into a weak whisper. “Why now?” He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming sheepish. 

“I wanted to… to be someone you’d be proud of first.” 

Time went still between the two of you, crickets filling the air, and after a few moments Naruto could feel the heat crawling up his neck, but before he could get out an apology, he noticed the the tears welling in your eyes. “N-Naruto,” you rasped out. 

“Yes?” His voice came out in a squeak. 

“Naruto, you big, dumb, sweet idiot.” The tears were spilling down your cheeks now, heavy and warm, and he rushed to pull you into another hug, stroking your hair with trembling hands while you sobbed into his chest, letting out all the suffering and heartache you’d had to endure while feeling nothing but safe in his embrace. 

When you were done with your crying, you gave a quiet hiccup and a sniffle that had Naruto’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “You’re cute,” he mused, and if you weren’t already flushed from your hysterics, you surely were now. 

“Shut up,” you retorted, giving him a weak shove, only to press your body into his chest again, this time letting your arms wrap around his waist while he continued to hold you at your shoulders. 

“I know that you’re just trying to deal with everything on your own,” his voice was quiet, soothing as he spoke into your hair. “But you don’t have to. Everyone’s here for you.”

“Yeah… Yeah, I know.” 

The two of you stood in each others arms for a while longer, letting the lull of his heartbeat drown out the crickets, and you suddenly felt sleep chasing you; he must have noticed as well, as he suddenly scooped you up bridal style, you just barely holding onto the plastic bag in your grasp while he made his way up the steps. 

“Keys?”

“In m’ pocket,” you slurred. 

With some maneuvering on his part you were soon inside, being laid on your twin-sized bed and tucked into your sheets  _ (when had he taken the bag from your hand?) _ with a quiet promise to come see you in the morning, and with strength you didn’t know you had in that moment, you were latching onto his jacket and cracking your eyes open just enough to peer up at him. “Stay. Please.” He looked on sympathetically at your frail figure, feeling a dull ache throb in his chest at how clearly you were grieving, how lonely it all was, and how much he knew exactly how you were feeling. Kneeling down at your bedside, he took your nearest hand into both of his and pressed a long kiss to your knuckles. 

“I’ve got you.”

 

When you woke the next morning, all your senses seemed to come to you slowly, barely registering your own physical being for the first few minutes of consciousness; it wasn’t until you attempted to turn onto your side and felt your thigh hit something (and the resounding snort that followed) that your memories of the night before came rushing back and had you opening your eyes to find where the hell the knucklehead had managed to fall asleep. 

Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t strayed far.

At your bedside, Naruto’s body was slumped with his side against the frame and his head contorted uncomfortably onto the edge of the mattress, mouth hung open and a pool of drool forming on the sheets. While you would expect the sight would fill you with disgust, you felt a pleasant warmth bloom in your chest, and curled back up into your pillow for a few more minutes of shuteye. 

 

 

(What you didn’t know was Naruto had stayed up for hours after you’d dozed off, dragging his thumbs affectionately over the calluses on your palms and attentively watching your expression as you slept, on guard for any nightmares that would interrupt your much-needed rest.)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by my favorite Naruto opening.
> 
> I started watching Naruto when it first aired on Cartoon Network/Toonami when I was a wee kid, which means it's been over 13 years now and it's still stuck with me. I finally gave in and started watching Boruto, and thus, got inspired. (And there's not much Naruto fanfiction on AO3 considering how old the fandom is so I had to contribute.)
> 
> How long has it been around for you? I'd love to know.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
